Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-01-08

< UfgSS<-i Hss,tf-zSls1ef LID Lady Bydiarf
~ syy,YISSV l=53sS sat meditating b,
SSSssA, rHlZsS<t ~ the fireside, witt
rG&SSs.SSSg three letters lying
open on hor lap
Time had discolored the paper and haC
turned the ink to a brownish hue. The let
tei's were all addressed to the same person
1.-THE Right Hon Lord Lydiardu--and wore
all signed in the same way--"Your affection
ate cousin, James Tollmidge" Judged by
these specimens of his correspondence, Mr.
Tonmidge must have possessed one grea'
merit as u letter-writer- merit of brevity
He win weary nobodys patience, if he is al
lowed to have hearing Let him, therefore
be permitted, in his own highnown way, tc
speak for himself
First letter: my statement as yeur lord
ship requests, shall be short and to the point.
was doing very well as portrait painter in
the country, and had wife and children to
consider. Under these circumstances. if ]
had been left to decide for myself, should
certainly have waited until had saved lit
tie money before / ventured on the seriou
expense of taking a house and studio at thl
west end of London. Your lordship, posi-
lively declare, encouraged me to try the ex-
pertinent without waiting. And here l am
unknown and unemployed, helpless artist
lost in London, with a sick wife and hungry
| children and bankruptcy staring me in thu
| face On whose shoulders does this dreadful
responsibility rest7 On your lordship'sln
Second letter: After a weeks delay yor
favor mo, my lord, with curt reply. l car
be equally curt ON my side. l Indignantly
deny that or my wife have ever presumed
TO use your lordship's name as a means o.
recommendation to sitters without your per.
mission Some enemy has slandered us.
claim, as my right, to know the name of tina
enemy
Third land last letter: "Another weel
has passed and not word of answer ha
reached me from your lordship 1t matter
little l have employed the interval il
making inquiries and | have at last dis
covered the hostile influence which ha
estranged you from me- l have been, i
seems, so unfortunate as TO offend Lad,
Lydiard Chow, can not imagine; and tn
an-powerful influence of this noble lady i
now used against tae struggling artist wht
Is united to you by the sacred ties of kindred
30 it so. | can fight my way upward my
lord, as other men have done before me-
lay may yet come when the throng Of car
riages waiting at the door of the Fashionable
portrait painter will include her ladyship|
vehicle, and bring me the tardy expression
Of her ladyship's regret ] refer you, my
Lord Lydiard to that day.'
Having read Mr.. Tollmidge's formidabl,
assertions relating to herself for the secont
time, Lady Lydiard's meditations came tt
an abrupt end. She rose, took the letters il
both hands to tear them up, hesitated, anc
threw them back into the cabinet drawer il
which she had discovered them, among othcl
papers that had not been arranged sine
Lord Lydiard's death.
THE idiotw said her ladyship, thinking o.
Mr. Tollmidge. II never even heard of hin
in my husbands lifetime; never even knew
that he was really related to Lord Lydiard
till found his letters. What is to DO dor.
nextp
She looked, as she put that question to her
self, at an open newspaper thrown on til,
table, which announced the death of ''tha'
accomplished artist, Mr. Tollmidge, related
IL is said, to the late weli-1nown connoissenr
Lord Lydiardh In the next sentence tht
writer Of the obituary notice deplored tn,
destitute condition of Mrs. Tolhnidge and he,
children, thrown helpless on the mercy Of
the world" Lady Lydiard stood by the table
with her eyes on those lines and saw but tor
plainly the direction in which they pointed
the direction of her check book.
Turning toward the fireplace, she rang the
bell. II con do nothing in this matter, she
thought to herself, until know whether
the report about Mrs Tollnidpe anG
her family is to be depended on Has
Moody come backW she asked. when
the servant appeared at the door, moody
otherwise her ladyships steward had moi
come back. Lady Lydiard dismissed the sub
ject of the artists widow from further con
sideration until the steward returned and
gave her mind to question of domestic in |
tereSt which lay nearer to her heart. Her
favorite dog had been ailing for some time |
past and no report Of him had reached her |
that morning. She opened door near the |
fireplace, which led, through little corridor |
hung with rare prints, to her own boudoir
Isabel" she called out, Show is Tommea"
fresh young voice answered from behind /
the curtain which closed the farther end of /
the corridor, ''No better, my lady"
low growl followed the fresh young
voice, and added Din dogs language, "Nuch
worse, my lady-much worseln
Lady Lydiard closed the door again. with
a compassionate sigh for Tommie, and walked
slowly to and fro in her spacious drawing
room, waiting for the stewards return.
Accurately described, Lord Lydiards widow
was short and fat, and perilously near her
dxtieth birthday. But it may be said, with
cut paying a compliment, that she looked
younger than her age by ten years at least.
Her complexion was of that delicate pink
tinge which is sometimes seen in old women
with well-preserved constitutions. Her eyes
equally well-preserved) were of that hard
lightblue color which wears well, and does
not wash out when tried by the test of tears
Add to this her short nose, her plump cheeks
that set wrinkles at defiance, her white hair
dressed in stiff little curls, and if doll could
grow old, Lady Lydiard at sixty would have
been the living image of that doll, taking life
sasily on its journey downward to the pref
TEST OF tombs In a burial ground where the
nyrtles and roses grew all the year round. Z
These being her ladyship's personal merits.
impartial history must acknowledge. on the
list OF her defects, a total want OF tact and I
taste in her attire The lapse OF time since ,
Lord Lydiards death had left her at liberty /
10 dress as she pleased. She arranged her
short, clumsy figure in colors that we're far
boo bught for woman Of her age. Her
ipsssess badly chosen As to their hues, were